Pardon Me
by FlowerOwl
Summary: Having just been pardoned, Steve is ready to return to the Compound with the rest of his team, where they will once again defend the world from evil. If only Tony would stop being petty about the past, then they could move on and repair the divide between them.


Steve was grateful that T'Challa had agreed to arrange their return to the US. He really was. But that didn't stop him from wondering why T'Challa had decided to let them make the trip in such an old and unassuming plane. He was a king, a king of a country that had only recently decided to reveal itself to the world at that. Wouldn't it be in his best interest to let the world see the true extent of Wakanda's technology immediately? Yes, the plane was a marvel to look at, the outside made of pitch-black panels that would turn purple upon contact with rain, but it had been in the very back of the hangar, and Steve could already feel how it didn't do much to keep the temperature pleasant during the flight. Was that really the first impression that T'Challa wished for Wakanda?

Although half the planes back in the hangar had probably been designed by Shuri, Steve was sure it was T'Challa who had been the one to make the decision of sending them off in that particular one. The few times he had gotten a chance to talk with Shuri, she had always seemed so proud of her inventions - like Tony had done, an unhelpful part of his brain would remind him every time - so surely, she would have wanted to show the world exactly what she was capable of, wouldn't she?

Shuri not acting like Tony would have been convenient in almost any other situation, but right then, it was just frustrating.

Still, the annoyance was nothing compared to the joy Steve felt at the prospect of returning home.

It had taken twenty long months, twenty months where Steve and the rest of his team had been forced to hide in Wakanda just for having had the courage to stand up against the world and tell it to move, to say that they would not allow governments and people with agendas to seize control over the Avengers, but finally, people had seen sense and had asked them to come back to protect them.

Some, Steve supposed, would have been petty and refused to return. In fact, he was almost sure that if Tony had been the one to be cast out, he would not simply come back, ready to protect everyone again. No, he would have made a scene, probably convincing Pepper to use her position as the CEO of Stark Industries to say something bad about the government as well.

Well, luckily for the world, Steve and his team were just happy to be back.

Of course, there were still things that could have been better, things Steve would have to fix once he had had the chance to settle into life at the Compound again. First, he had to do something about Bucky, who was still frozen back in Wakanda.

When Shuri had approached him only a couple of months after Steve and the others had arrived in Wakanda to inform him that there was nothing she could do for Bucky right now, Steve had not believed her. Wakanda might still be a relatively unknown country, but Shuri was widely regarded as a genius, a genius who had nearly unlimited resources at her disposal at that, so surely there was something she could do, there had to be. But when he had asked her for the reason why she was giving up, she had just shook her head, mumbling something about having an entire country to serve and not just being some inventor who always had time for them. Steve had wanted to say something to her, but she had simply walked right past him, disappearing into another room through a door flanked by two members of the Dora Milaje. When Steve had tried to follow her to try to convince her that Bucky deserved help, the two women had stepped in front of the door, raising their spears slightly. Their faces had been calm, but the threat obvious. _Try to follow the princess and we will make you regret it._ And since Bucky was still stuck in the laboratory, completely defenceless, Steve had decided not to risk it and instead let it go.

That was why it was crucial that he could get to speak with Tony. Despite not really being ready to trust the inventor again, Steve had to admit that Tony was this last hope. At least Tony was known for being unable to turn down a chance to show off, so Steve was sure that it would only take a couple of days to make Tony give up his grudge against then and agree to help, not only with Bucky but with the Accords Council as well. From what Steve had heard, it had all turned out exactly the way he had feared it would do with the Avengers being little more than pawns, all of them controlled by the government,.

"What are you thinking about?" Natasha's voice interrupted his worries and Steve tried to smile at her

Much like himself, the forced stay in Wakanda had left its marks on Nat. Gone were the days where she could just walk outside. Through all of the months in Wakanda, T'Challa had kept reminding them not to step outside the east wing of the palace, telling them that although he had granted them sanctuary, he could not guarantee that everyone in the palace would agree with him. When Natasha had tried to argue that they needed to be able to go outside to stay in shape, he had left the room. They had later tried to get some fresh air, but the Dora Milaje had been there immediately to escort them back to their rooms. Really, how Natasha had been able to go through all that and not be bitter at the world was beyond Steve. And yet, here she was, still confined to the small plane and about to go home to the people who had decided to throw them out instead of listening to their warnings, but still worrying about him.

"Bucky," he answered, making Natasha laugh softly.

"Don't you always?"

Natasha was amazing at reading people, but right then Steve had to admit that she had not been entirely correct. Yes, he cared about Bucky, he would gladly sacrifice his life to save Bucky, but at the moment, it seemed that his thoughts would always end up the same place. Tony Stark. But he still nodded at her, and, for a moment, Natasha seemed relaxed, simply smiling at him. But then her face went serious, an expression Steve knew what meant. She had a plan.

"About all of this, or to be specific, about what we are going to do once we get back home," she said, changing the subject as she went to sit in the seat across from Steve, "I have just talked to the pilot, and she said that she isn't allowed to land anywhere near the compound. Apparently it is no longer able to accommodate planes."

"Tony renovated it while we were gone?" Steve asked. He could still remember the smile Tony had sent him the day he had dragged him outside to show how he was planning to section off a good chunk of the fields around the Compound to create their own little hangar and landing strip.

To his surprise, Natasha frowned at him. "I hope so."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

A moment of silence passed between them, and Steve got the feeling that Natasha was considering whether or not she should share some big secret with him. It was the way her mouth twitched, a sure sign that she was unsure.

At last, she let out a deep sigh. "Let's just say that I think a lot has changed since we left."

With that cryptic answer, Natasha got up and walked over to chat with Clint and Wanda, leaving Steve behind with a feeling of unease growing in his stomach.

It turned out that Natasha had been right. The plane landed at an airport - the smallest airport Steve had seen in a long time, or maybe he had just grown accustomed to bigger airports during his search for Bucky - with the pilot leading them into a small waiting room before telling them to wait. That seemed like a waste of time, there was nothing for them to wait for as they had been in such a hurry to leave the country in the first place that none of them had actually managed to get a chance to pack anything.

The minutes passed, and Steve could feel how this waste of time was getting to him. Shouldn't there have been someone to come and get them back to the Compound by now? From what T'Challa had told them, the government as well as the Avengers had been informed of their return, so why was no one there? Could everything about the pardons turn out to be a lie, something the Accords Council had come up with to trap them? Steve doubted it; T'Challa himself had presented them with the stack of paper that he said detailed the conditions for them being allowed back home again, but still. The longer he waited in the small room, the more unsure Steve began to feel about it all.

Around him, Steve noticed how the rest of the team seemed tense as well, with Clint constantly standing up before sitting back down in one of the cheap plastic chairs, Wanda's powers manifesting as small, crimson sparks around her hands, and Natasha staring intensely at the door. Only Sam and Scott seemed to be somewhat relaxed, talking with each other in a hushed tone.

When Steve thought about it, Sam and Scott had actually seemed distanced from the team for quite a while now, mostly keeping to themselves, and choosing to sit next to each other as far away from the rest of the team as they possibly could when Steve would tell them that they had to come to a team meeting. Really, the more Steve thought about it, the more instances of Sam and Scott going out of their way to not spend time with the rest of the team he remembered. He had to deal with it, and he had to deal with it soon; it was that kind of conduct that had started what would later become the divide in the Avengers, the divide that Steve had later had to fight to keep it from completely tearing the Avengers apart from the inside. But for now, it seemed that the smartest thing to do would be to let Sam and Scott talk on their own and instead wait for someone to come and pick them up. Steve just hoped that the situation wouldn't suddenly escalate the way it had done with Tony and that they wouldn't have to deal with another robot like Ultron.

The door swung open, making Steve automatically look up at the person entering the room. She looked a bit like Maria Hill, he noticed, with her professional demeanour and the way that she walked to stand in front of them, carrying herself as if she was the one with the superpowers. But, unlike Hill, she didn't look like she had any weapons on her. Instead, she was holding a clipboard and looking down at a piece of paper, her eyes moving quickly as she scanned whatever kind of information the page contained.

It wasn't until Natasha coughed discretely that she bothered to look up at them, acknowledging their presence with a quick nod in their direction, and started talking. "I am sorry that we have kept you waiting, but the plane landed a bit earlier than we had anticipated." she said, her apology making Steve instantly like her a bit more. Finally, someone was there to get them the rest of the way to the Compound, someone who even cared enough to actually apologise for leaving them waiting. The lady continued, having seemingly not noticed the smile that Steve sent her as she didn't return it. "Now, I have been informed that both Mr. Wilson as well as Mr. Lang have opted not to apply for a position on the Avengers Team-"

"What?" Steve exclaimed, accidentally interrupting the lady. She didn't seem too happy about that, pressing her lips together, but right then, Steve didn't care about that. "Why would you do that, we just got home!"

Scott squirmed in his seat, seemingly trying to look at every spot in the room except for over at Steve. Sam on the other hand, meet Steve's gaze as he slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry, but… I can't do this again. Scott and I have talked about it, and we don't want to even _try_ to become Avengers. We want to go home."

"But we are going home, we are going to the Compound," Steve argued, noticing his tone getting more desperate. Why wouldn't Sam and Scott see reason?

It seemed, however, that his words had the opposite effect as intended as Scott stared at him with a disbelieving look. "Rogers, I have a daughter whom I haven't seen for over a year now. Even if I could become an Avenger - even if I wanted to do that, I would never come and live at the Compound."

"But you could bring her with you."

Steve didn't miss the way that Scott scowled at him, Sam reaching over to place a hand on Scott's shoulder, almost like he wanted to calm him down while whispering something to him. After a few seconds of Scott listening intensely to what Sam was saying, he took a deep breath and looked back over at Steve. "So are you telling me that you didn't remember how I have told you that I am divorced and that my daughter is living with her mother, meaning that I can't just move her to the Compound with me?" Steve didn't answer, and Scott continued. "I guess that you don't even care that I left her behind to come to your aid at the airport either then?"

He couldn't answer. To be completely honest, until Scott had showed that his suit could also be used to become as tall as a building, Steve had assumed that he would just get in the way for the rest of the team. He had never meant for Scott to be there, and he had certainly not meant for Scott to go with them to Wakanda. So why was Scott acting like Steve had personally taken his daughter away from him?

But before he got the chance to ask Scott what he was talking about, the lady with the clipboard started talking again. "I'm not sure what the reasons for you all appearing to be under the impression that you will be going to the Compound are, but let me clear that up right now: none of you are going there. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Lang, I have arranged for you to be taken back home where you will have a chance to get in touch with your lawyers before making any statements. Since you two are no longer involved with the Accords Council, I don't have any more messages for you, and you can go outside where a taxi will be waiting for you."

Lawyers? Steve shot Sam and Scott a worried glance. What had they agreed to? This was why they shouldn't have gone and made decisions without consulting the rest of the team beforehand, now they had somehow been tricked into a situation where they would need lawyers.

However, Sam and Scott didn't seem all that worried about the situation they had gotten themselves into, as they simply nodded at the lady before getting up to leave. The door slammed behind them without either of them even looking back at any of their teammates.

The lady continued, not giving Steve as much as a single second to absorb the fact that two of his friends had just left him behind. "As for you four, the Accords Council and the UN have reached an agreement that officially makes the Accords Council responsible for any actions taken by any of you for as long as you are considered candidates for the Avengers Programme. This means that we will be held responsible for any destruction you may cause from this moment on. We can, however, chose not to accept this responsibility if we judge that you aren't doing everything in your might to adhere to the rules specified in the contracts you have signed before being brought back home. Is that clear?"

Steve instantly nodded, the rest of the team mirroring his reaction.

"And you have read and understood the entire contract?"

Once again, they nodded. To tell the truth, Steve had only skimmed the first couple of pages, but he had gotten the general gist of the text: don't cause havoc, don't leave the country unless granted permission, and generally don't do anything unless told to by a team leader. It was nothing but a show of power from Tony's side, his way of showing them that they didn't have any power anymore, so Steve had given up after a couple of pages, deciding not to bother to read the visualisation of Tony's tantrum. But the more time he spent with the clipboard-lady, the more he began to suspect that she would not listen to him, so he didn't bother telling her that she was wasting her time, and that, in just a few hours, Steve would have talked with Tony about the ridiculousness of his behaviour and made him see sense.

The lady seemed satisfied with their answers, as she didn't bother asking another questions, instead gesturing at the door. "Good. Now that I have made sure that you are aware of the conditions, you can leave. There is a taxi waiting for you outside that will take you to the motel where we have decided to house you for the time being."

"Motel?" Wanda asked. It was the first time she had opened her mouth since they had entered the waiting room, and she sounded so unsure that Steve had to keep himself from walking over to tell her that it would all be okay as soon as he got the chance to speak to Tony.

"Yes, Miss Maximoff, a motel." the lady repeated, and Steve was almost entirely sure that he detected a hint of malicious glee in her voice. "I get that it might not live up to what you are used to, but it was what we had space in the budget for. And since all of your means have been frozen, I doubt that you will be able to find a better alternative, so I urge you to accept the offer. In the event that you get accepted as an Avenger and begin to earn your own money, you can search for something better, but for now, I'm afraid that a motel is all we are able to offer you."

"And we are grateful for that," Natasha cut in, before taking Wanda's hand and leading her towards the door, gesturing for Clint and Steve to follow her and not give the woman another chance of trying to twist their words.

They all followed her, but just before the door closed behind them, Steve turned around to see that the lady's professional expression had disappeared entirely. Instead, she was looking like she hadn't slept for a week, looking down at the floor while supressing a yawn.

Something was wrong. Something was completely wrong, and he had to find out what.

The motel somehow managed to be even worse than Steve had expected it to be. The taxi driver had led them up to their room, ignoring their protests and Clint stating several times that they were perfectly able to get there on their own, and had opened the door to reveal a tiny room with two bunkbeds pushed against one of the walls. All four of the beds were covered with blankets that looked like they were at least a hundred years old. To the other side of the room, Steve could see a door that he assumed would lead to a bathroom.

"Is this really it?" Steve asked as he regarded the ratty room.

"It's the address that I have been given by the Accords Council," the taxi driver confirmed with a nod before turning around and leaving the room. Steve noticed how he seemed to be in a hurry and wondered why the Accords Council couldn't treat their employees a little bit better. Surely, they didn't need to make the man so busy that he had to leave them so quickly.

Clearly slipping back into her old habits, Natasha pushed past Steve to get a chance to inspect the room. It didn't take long before Clint followed her as well, leaving Steve and Wanda alone.

Walking over to stand closer to the bed, Wanda took in the sorry state of the room, stating silent for a while before looking down at the bed. "I can't believe that Stark would do this to me," Steve heard Wanda mutter, scarlet sparks flying from her fingertips as she glared at the bunk beds, "first he takes my parents, then my brother, then Vision, and now he has also given me _this_ ," she pointed towards the blanket, and a little cloud of crimson smoke flew from her hand over onto the blanket. As soon as the magic touched the blanket, Steve saw how the energy was being distributed through the fabric, leaving a couple of extra holes in the blanket than there had been before. The smell of burnt fabric filled the room.

"Wanda, I get that you are angry, and trust me, you have every right to be, but could you maybe focus on not destroying anything in here?" Steve asked in his most placating tone, not wanting to upset Wanda any more

The young girl took a couple of deep breaths before the magic around her hands dissolved. "Sorry," she said with a little smile, "I forgot."

"It's okay, I get that all of this must be hard for you. But you don't have to worry about the room on top of all that. As soon as I get the chance to talk with Tony, I will make sure to sort out all of this."

Wanda's expression turned sour again. "Stark would never do anything to help us. He has shown time and time again that he doesn't care about anyone but himself."

"Of course he does, he just has a habit of keeping all of his emotions cooped up inside, and sometimes he needs help with expressing them."

Right then, Natasha and Clint returned to the tiny bedroom.

"We couldn't find any sort of camera or microphone installed in here," Natasha declared, "I think we are safe."

"Good," Steve said, feeling a surge of proudness. He hadn't thought about checking for any sort of spying equipment, and yet Natasha had simply decided to go and do it herself, "then I think we should discuss how we can get a chance to talk to Tony."

Natasha nodded. "I know how to get to the Compound from here, so if we take one of the cars from the parking ground, we can be at the Compound in just a couple of hours."

From his spot next to Natasha, Clint looked over at Steve. "I have already picked out a car that I think we can take without anyone noticing until after at least a day," he said, "so now it's just a question of going to the Compound so that we can punch some sense into Stark-"

"We will be going to talk with him and nothing else," Steve reminded him with a stern tone.

"Tomayto, tomahto," Clint commented, "we are still going to yell at him for being such a baby about it all."

At Clint's words, the crimson threads of magic began to form around Wanda's hands once more. Realising that there was no way talking any more about the magic would end well, Steve decided to simply nod at Clint. "Yes, we are going to tell Tony that this little display of power has gone on for far too long, and that he can stop now." when the others looked at him, their expressions ranging from Wanda's scowl to Natasha's thoughtful gaze, Steve decide to turn up the charm. "Look, you are all angry, and you have every right to - to be completely honest, even I am furious with Tony and the way he has handled all of this - but we can't let our personal feelings get in the way of our job: protecting the world."

The effect was almost immediate; Natasha smiled at him, wordlessly telling him that he was doing great, Clint stopped looking like he was mentally planning how to murder Tony, and Wanda managed to regain control over her powers. A warm sense of belonging - of family - filled Steve's chest. Here they were, in the worst motel room in the world, having been betrayed by everyone, and yet Natasha, Clint, and Wanda were all ready to set aside their own hurt feelings to help the world.

He couldn't keep the sense of pride from seeping into his voice as he tried to find his old Captain America-voice.

"Avengers assemble!"

The Compound was eerily quiet, making each and every sound too loud and sudden, the long hallways intensifying the sound of their footstep. It didn't take long before Steve found himself walking a few steps in front of the rest of the team while making sure that there was nothing waiting for them around the corner. It was an irrational fear; they had been pardoned, there was nothing and no one there that they had to fear, but still. Steve didn't like the fact that they had returned home to an empty airport and now also to a completely empty compound. Surely, someone had been told to go and welcome them and help them settle back into their old life; at least that was what Steve would have done if he had been in charge of planning the return of the people walking behind him.

He didn't like the theories his mind was coming up with for the lack of people present at the Compound either. It had been necessary, but Steve was still not happy with the fact that he had left the world almost entirely unguarded when he had had to flee to Wakanda along with his team. Yes, Tony was still there and was hopefully doing his best, and Steve had sent him a phone along with a message to contact him if Tony was ever in need of help, but fact was that most of the Avengers had left along with Steve, leaving for a country located so far away from the Compound that they would not be able to come back in time to help Tony, should anything go wrong. Was that what had happened? Had there been an attack while Steve and the rest of the team had been on the plane, an attack that had been so serious that everyone at the Compound had had to go and help, only to have something go wrong and Tony getting hurt? Steve could only hope that there was still time for them to come to Tony's rescue. Despite how Tony had been the one to cause this entire mess in the first place, Steve truly didn't want the billionaire to be harmed. But it was the reason that his mind kept coming back to. It was a plausible scenario - Tony's inability to know when to stay silent paired with his ego had to have earned him at least a couple of enemies throughout the years, and the possibility of Tony being kidnapped would explain why the lady at the airport had seemed so tired and worn-out.

In his panic that was only fuelled by his brain's increasingly different explanations for the deserted Compound, each option being worse than the last one, Steve almost walked straight into one of the many glass walls. Barely managing to stop himself in time, Steve gestured for the others to watch out before turning around the corner and into the kitchen. Then he stopped dead in his tracks.

Tony was there.

Tony was standing in the middle of the room, balancing a cardboard box on one hip, and humming along to a tune as he made his way around the kitchen counter, only stopping for a moment to pick up some book that had been lying on the table to instead place it in the box. Then he made eye contact with Steve and froze.

For a moment they all stood there, neither of them moving a muscle. Steve could see how Tony was registering the fact that Natasha, Clint, and Wanda were all there as well before looking back at Steve.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tony asked, finally breaking the silence with a tone that was colder than ice.

Steve took a step forward, trying his best not to feel hurt by the way his movement instantly caused Tony to take a step away from him and position himself so that he was situated with the kitchen island separating himself from Steve and the rest of the team. He had expected Tony to be angry, but he had hoped that he would at least let him explain before he started to antagonise the team.

"Tony, we are back," Steve said, gesturing towards Natasha, Clint, and Wanda who had walked forward to stand next to him, "T'Challa managed to get our pardons through; we got back just a few hours ago."

Slowly, Tony shook his head, a puzzled look on his face. "Okay, ignoring the fact that that did in no way explain what you are doing in here, just what are you talking about? I haven't heard anything about any pardons. The last thing I heard was that the Accord Council were worrying about where you would stay since they couldn't let you live too close to a bigger city where you could possibly end up creating much more damage than out on the countryside."

"Well, at least they won't have to worry about that anymore," Steve said, hoping that his tone would properly convey the message he intended.

It seemed that it didn't, as Tony simply kept looking at him with a confused expression.

"What?" Tony said flatly. "I'm afraid that I don't know what you are talking about."

"Tony, come on. I know you know."

"I'm afraid that I really don't, _Rogers_ ," Tony repeated once more. Steve noticed the emphasis on his last name, "and I have to tell you that I don't even care all that much about what you have to say and what words you think you can use to manipulate me. I have nothing to say to any of you, I don't like having criminals inside one of Stark Industries' buildings, so I'm asking you to leave now."

"We aren't criminals, Tony, and you know that," Natasha said, unable to keep her disappointment at the billionaire's tone seep into her words.

But Tony just shrugged. "You destroyed an airport. In addition to that Rogers also attacked the police, and when you saw that you risked facing consequences for your actions, you fled to Wakanda to hide. Had it not been for T'Challa wanting to help you, I don't think you would have ever been able to safely leave Wakanda. You can argue as much as you want, but that does not change the fact that you are criminals."

"So?" Clint asked. "T'Challa helped us, we got our pardons, and now we are back. What difference does it make that we had to get help?"

Tony was silent for a moment, and Steve could almost see how he was slowly coming to his senses and seeing the truth; that Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Wanda had done the only thing they could have done given the circumstances, and that the world had finally seen reason when deciding to bring them back.

Then Tony burst into laughter and the sound echoed through the empty room.

During the long days in Wakanda, Steve had often found himself thinking about Tony and the way the billionaire would always laugh at the nerdy science jokes in films, at the small quips he would make while fighting alongside the rest of the Avengers. Without Tony, Steve had come to the realisation that Tony had been the only one who actually seemed to find Steve's jokes genuinely funny, as Natasha, Clint, and Wanda would always hesitate a second to long before forcing out a strained laugh. So, ideally, hearing Tony laugh again should have been an amazing thing, reminding him of all the reasons he had fought so hard to be able to come back. But it was not. In that moment, Tony didn't sound like he usually did, his laugh being harsh and sarcastic.

"Wait," Tony asked once he had stopped laughing, "you think that you have been pardoned? You really think that the world looked at all of your crimes and decided that it actually didn't matter all that much? Is that what you think?"

"Stop twisting the situation," Steve said, fighting to not let his irritation show, "you know that we never meant for any of that to happen, and the UN agreed with us."

"You are more delusional than I thought." The words were hushed, and Steve got the thought that Tony didn't actually care whether he heard it or not. But he did, and it hurt, especially when Tony simply continued. "Look, maybe you would have acted differently if you got the chance to change the past, I won't say that I know, what you would do if you got such a chance. But fact is that people have died as a direct consequence of the actions you took in the past, actions that you should have known would most likely lead to fatalities. As for you pardons, I don't feel sorry at all to inform you that you clearly didn't care to actually read the conditions for your return to the US."

"And you have?" Clint shot back.

"Considering the fact that you are only allowed to stay as long as you are a part of the Avengers Programme, a programme I am involved in, I didn't have much of a choice if I wanted to know where I was standing. Trust me; it wasn't like I actually wanted to waste a good part of my spare time on reading a contract that I knew you would simply rip apart the moment you got back. But those hours I spent seems to have paid off in the end, because they have made me able to tell the four of you that, no, you haven't been pardoned. The Accords Council has imply accepted to be held responsible for any missteps made by you for as long as you are affiliated with the Avengers Programme, which is the only reason that you were allowed to come back. So, no, the world haven't actually decided to trust you."

Steve was trying to keep up with the newfound information. The Accords Council were responsible for them, he knew that much already, but he hadn't known that they were only allowed back home because they had agreed to apply for a position in the Avengers Programme. Now that he was aware, he was beginning to doubt the decision he had made back in Wakanda to accept the offer when T'Challa had presented it to them. Yes, it was nice to be back home, but it seemed that he was now back in the position he hated so much; being little more than a dancing monkey who could be bossed around by governments and politicians with secret agendas.

"But you can fix that, right?" Steve asked. The politicians had quite an amount of power, sure, but it couldn't be something that Tony couldn't take care of.

"Fix what?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The mess with the government. That's what you have always done, isn't it? You could make them see reason and pardon us. That way, we wouldn't have to wait for them to make decision as to who we are allowed to help, should a crisis occur."

Tony just shot him an icy glare. "You are correct when you say that I was always the one who had to take the fall for the rest of you and pay for all of the damage we caused back in the days. _However_ ," he continued, raising his voice as Steve opened his mouth, "the keyword in that sentence is 'was'. We are operating as a team now - an actual team - with a chain of command that won't be broken every second and transparency to allow us to be held accountable for our mistakes. Having to obtain a permission from the local government to help in their country is a part of that. Trust me; you aren't the only ones who can't just go to another country with heaps of weapons without receiving a permission to do so first. The only thing that is different from you and everyone else is the fact that you are only allowed back into the US because the Accords Council decided that you might still be useful for the Avengers and therefore to also accept responsibility for you. To make a long story short, I won't ever try to help you with getting away with breaking the conditions stated in your contracts, and I find it quite insulting that you thought I would."

"Tony, you know they are only waiting for a chance to say that we have overstepped our boundaries and kick us out of the country," Natasha protested.

"That is not my problem."

"But it is, isn't it?" Natasha continued. "How many Avengers are left? You, Vision, and maybe Rhodes," Tony twitched slightly at the mention of his friend's name. It was subtle, and Steve was sure that the billionaire did not want them to notice it, "that is only three Avengers. Three people to protect the entire planet. I know that you are smart, so surely you must see that there is no way that three people will be enough."

"You really haven't done your research, haven't you?" Tony sneered, Steve barely keeping himself from reprimanding Tony for his hostile behaviour. "Over a hundred people in possession of what can be considered superpowers are currently a part of the Avengers Programme. Seriously, it's public knowledge, you could have read about them on the homepage of the Accords Council. But let me guess, you didn't even know that such a page existed, did you?"

"Well where is everyone then?" Clint asked, crossing his arms. "Why are you the only one here if there's actually a hundred other superheroes?"

A part of Steve, the hopeful part that always saw the best in others, was still somewhat expecting Tony to suddenly reveal that the rest of the Avengers were actually waiting for them in another room, ready to celebrate their return. He knew that given everything that had happened between them after the introduction of the Accords, Tony would have spent a couple of days being at angry at himself for how he had let Ross and corrupt politicians get in between himself and the Avengers, but surely Tony would not actually have shut down the Avengers Initiative and let the government take over the team just to be able to show them a completely vacant Compound, right? Steve's respect for Tony had admittedly dwindled a bit over the last couple of minutes with Tony seemingly not being able to focus on anything except for his misplaced grudge, but he still didn't think that he could sink so low.

After a moment that seemed far too long, Tony smirked at them, making Steve feel more at ease. Finally, this was the Tony he had come to known over the years, the man who could watch the world burn and still find time to make a joke about the situation.

"They are at work."

"Work?" Natasha echoed, a hint of surprise and amusement in her voice. "Then why is there no one here? At least try a little bit better if you want to lie to us."

"Oh no, I couldn't dream of attempting to lie to the great Natalie Rushman. Since she knows my every thought, that would just be a waste of time, wouldn't it?"

"If this is about you being angry about the assessment I made-"

"Wow, you actually seem to realise that what you did with those papers was a pretty vile thing to do, I'm amazed," Tony said, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm, "but no, I'm not angry about all of that anymore, you know, since I figured out that part of the reason that evaluation hurt me so much was because it felt like listening to my father telling me that I would never be good enough all over again and managed to separate the two." at the mention of Howard, Steve felt his heart skip a beat. Trying to not let his teammates see his discomfort, he tried to stand still and keep his face neutral, but the look that Tony sent him was enough for him to know that Tony had noticed. However, the billionaire didn't comment. Instead, he continued talking. "As for your question, the other Avengers really are at work. a couple of teams are out attending to a local crisis that occurred a few hours ago, some of them are busy training to keep themselves sharp, and I suppose that the youngest Avenger's might just have gotten home from school-"

"Are you employing child soldiers now, Stark?" Wanda asked. "I knew that you had no moral compass, but that's low, even for you."

A few sparks of magic were appearing around Wanda's hands, and Steve stepped over to place a hand on her shoulder. That was all that was needed to make Wanda calm down, and a couple of seconds later the sparks had almost disappeared completely, leaving only a few traces of them behind in the form of an almost completely transparent cloud of red magic.

Steve looked over at Tony to realise that he did not look worried about the magic at all. It was so unlike the way Tony had acted the first couple of times he had met Wanda, that Steve felt a pang of pride. The sooner Tony stopped insisting that Wanda was trying to harm him, the sooner they could become a real team again.

"Considering the fact that both yourself and Rogers have constantly argued that since you are a child and that you should not be responsible for your own actions and should not have to work to earn money for yourself, I would advise you not to make statements about child soldiers," Tony stated, still looking at the cloud of magic rather than Steve, "besides, every Avenger under the age of eighteen are not allowed to go on missions. They are only a part of the Avengers Programme because it gives them support from people who can relate to their situation and because it gives them a way to train and gain control over their powers."

"You still haven't answered Nat's question," Clint reminded Tony, "if so many of the Avengers are training, then why didn't we see them when we passed by the training room?"

"Because the Avengers Programme doesn't own the Compound," Tony said, staring at Clint like it should have been obvious, and Clint scowling at him.

Perhaps that was obvious to Tony, Steve couldn't deny that that was a possibility, but Tony should have considered the fact that since he had decided to be the one on the team who would be in charge of finances, he couldn't expect Clint to have the same amount of knowledge as him when it came to anything related to their funding.

Seeing that Clint was winding himself up to a rant, Steve decided to cut in. "No, but you still own it, don't you?"

"I do."

When Tony didn't continue, Steve did so for him. "Yeah, so shouldn't the Avengers still be living here?"

The corners of Tony's mouth twitched, almost as if the billionaire could see something funny about the situation that he had decided not to share with the rest of the team. "No, the Avengers should not be living here. Not only did I not build the Compound to be able to accommodate over a hundred people, but I also could not keep funding the entire team."

"Did people finally find out that you weren't all that great? Did they stop buying your products?" Clint spat. "That must have been so hard for you, to suddenly see that you don't have any valuable skills."

"That's rich coming from a the people who are still wearing outfits and weapons that have been designed and build by Stark Industries," Tony shot back, "but no, SI is actually doing great, thank you for asking. What I meant was that I cannot both be a part of the Avengers Programme and also be the main source of funding. That would be conflict of interest. So the Avengers are in the middle of moving to our new headquarters."

"And what about this building?" Natasha asked. "Are you really saying that you are planning to just abandon all of this?"

"No, not at all. The Compound will be made over and refurnished so that it can be used to house the students participating in the Future Brains of Technology Programme if they aren't able to find another place to stay while receiving their education." Tony looked up at them, and it felt to Steve like he was consciously trying to look directly at Steve. "But let me guess, you haven't heard about that either?"

"We have been busy, we don't have time to keep up with all of your drama," Clint said, making Tony chuckle slightly.

"Drama, you say? Sure, I mean, considering that we are giving scholarships to teenagers to make them able to develop their skills in an environment suited for them, something that means that we always fill every spot, it's safe to say that having that many teenagers living so close together does create a bit of drama, but I wouldn't say that it's impossible to keep track of it all."

"You know what I meant, Stark!"

"Probably. But it wouldn't have been as fun for me if I didn't pretend that I didn't. So forgive me for enjoying that."

Just as Steve was about to tell Tony that his childish behaviour was completely unacceptable in the current situation, he heard a soft noise, almost like a bell, coming from the kitchen counter.

"Sorry, I think I have gotten a message," Tony said. While they all looked at him, the sound having piqued their interest, the billionaire went over and pushed a button located on the countertop. The familiar blue lines of one of Tony's hologram appeared in the air, forming an intricate design. As Steve tried to figure out the pattern behind the design, Tony quickly pressed a few of the lines, seeming completely sure of what he was doing. The hologram changed, suddenly turning pitch-black. It was not what Steve had expected as he had never before seen an instance of Tony's technology not working properly- that was part of the reason as to why Steve had not objected to letting Tony be in charge of the technology, even after the Ultron disaster. However, he soon realised that the hologram was still working normally from were Tony was standing. For some reason, Tony had decided to worsen the divide between himself and the rest of the team and once again try to keep them from knowing what was going on. Steve felt his stomach drop as he remembered that it had been almost the exact same thing that had happened when Tony had been in the process of creating Ultron. Was that what was happening? Had Tony tried to build another robot to protect the world, only to have everything go wrong once more?

"Tony," he said, "if there's anything wrong, you can tell us. We are here to help you, just tell us what has happened, and we can fix it for you."

But Tony just looked at the screen for a little longer before pressing another button hidden behind the kitchen counter and looking over at Steve.

"Please, you came here to insult me and try to bully me into helping you take over the Avengers Programme, so don't try to lie to me about your intentions. And no, I don't need help from any of you, so why don't you just leave now; you already know where the door is."

"What could possibly have been urgent enough for someone to call the kitchen in the Compound?" Natasha remarked, shifting her weight so that she was standing up straighter. "We know something is wrong, Tony, and the sooner you tell us what it is, the sooner we can solve it for you."

"Thank you, but I don't need you help with 'solving' any of my problems," Tony repeated, "well, I would like you to help me by removing yourself from the premises, but I think that is a bit too much to ask for when it comes to you."

"Stark, are you having trouble finding the front door?"

They all turned towards the sound of sixth voice coming from the end of the hallway located on the other side of the kitchen, behind Tony. Already before Steve noticed the way that Tony took a step backwards to regain his composure, clearly readying himself for a fight, the familiar sound was making him wish that he had asked Tony for his shield back. It seemed that they were heading for a fight.

Loki turned around the corner and into the kitchen, where he came to an abrupt stop, almost losing his grip on the cardboard box he had been carrying.

They instantly took action, Natasha charging up her Black Widow's Bite in an instant before taking a step forwards, aiming the weapon directly at Loki, Clint reaching for an arrow, and Wanda willing her powers to manifest as thin, crimson threads that rose to float around her hands and arms, ready to fight even despite the fact that Natasha, having remembered how much younger Wanda was than the rest of them, had moved in front of her to shield her from any attacks. Suddenly feeling quite vulnerable without his shield, Steve tried his best to look intimidating as he stepped up to stand next to Natasha.

Loki, meanwhile, looked like they bored him as he sauntered over to stand next to Tony at the kitchen island, placing the box on the counter next to Tony's.

That was when it all clicked for Steve. Of course it was Loki. Of course Loki had heard about how Steve had had to leave Tony behind as the rest of the team had been forced to go to Wakanda, leaving the billionaire without anyone to help him should he be attacked. And of course Loki had decided that it would be his chance to swoop in and actually succeed in gaining control over Tony like he had tried to do during the Battle of New York. It all made sense, Tony's eagerness to work together with the government despite the fact that he had seen first-hand how corrupt governments could be and how the people running them almost always had their own agenda and Steve's many warnings about the danger of relinquishing control over the Avengers. But why had no one else noticed? Surely, Loki could not have isolated Tony completely, that would have raised suspicion. So why had neither Rhodes nor Potts noticed anything? Steve had always thought that they were supposed to be Tony's friends, but if that was the case, they really were some awful friends, having not even noticed that Tony was under Loki's control. But he could think about that later. Right now, the main objective was to get Tony as far away from Loki as he possibly could.

Slowly taking a step closer to the kitchen island while making sure that his movements would not cause Loki to harm Tony, Steve held out his hand, motioning for Tony to move over to him.

"Tony," he said, "I don't know if you can hear me or if Loki has trapped you inside your mind, but if there is any way for you to break free - even for a second - I need you to come over here to me right now. We can protect you; you have nothing to be afraid of."

"If I actually left this place with you, I would have plenty of things to fear, so trust me, I'm not going anywhere." noticing a movement out of the corner of his eye, Steve turned around only to see a dark liquid dripping from Clint's hands and onto the floor where it formed a small puddle of grey goo. "And I would really not attempt to use a weapon designed and built by someone while you are inside one of their buildings," Tony said, making Steve face him once again. The billionaire was looking down at what Steve now realised was the remains of Clint's bow and arrows with an almost malicious look in his eyes.

That was what made Steve realise that there was no way for him to get through to Tony, and with Loki indirectly being in control of their weapons, the only way for them to get out of the Compound alive would be by talking their way out.

"Stand down," Steve ordered, ignoring the sounds of confusion coming from both Clint and Wanda. At least Nat seemed to have guessed his plan as she stood perfectly still for a moment before lowering her Bites with Wanda following behind after her and dissolving the red mist.

Loki let out a laugh. "Oh, I see that you have actually learnt something! Bravo, that's more than what I had expected of you from the tales my brother told me."

"What is he doing here?" Clint hissed at Tony.

Had it not been for how Steve could still remember how guilty Clint had felt the first couple of weeks after the incident on the Helicarrier and the way he had hesitated before accepting to carry his weapons again, he would have asked Clint to remember that Tony was not to blame for Loki's actions. But after everything Clint had been put through by Loki, Steve supposed that it was understandable that the sight of Loki was enough to make Clint not care about anything else.

"Loki is here to help me. He was just about to help me with packing up the last bit of knick-knacks," Tony said, meeting Clint's glare. The stare that Steve sent towards Tony seemed to finally make Loki realise that there was no way they were going to believe the lie he was making Tony tell, as Tony sighed and continued, "no, really, we've begun to work together. Thor asked both the Council and the Avengers if the situation on Earth was stable enough for the Avenger to help with the rebuilding of a new Asgard - oh yeah, I suppose you didn't know about that either, but Asgard has been destroyed-"

"What?" Steve couldn't help but to immediately exclaim. Asgard was destroyed? But how? He had always gotten the impression from Thor that everything was going well when it came to Asgard, so how come that Asgard now supposedly destroyed? Then Steve reminded himself that he really should know better than to trust anything Tony was saying as long as he was being controlled by Loki. Asgard was most likely completely fine, and the story about it being gone a mere lie meant to distract him. He mentally berated himself for falling for one of Loki's tricks. After everything he had seen Thor's brother do, he should have known better. He had to remember who he was up against and not let his guard down for even just a moment.

Almost as if Loki knew what Steve was thinking, Tony sent him a glare. "Yeah, Steve, Asgard has been destroyed. Thankfully, Thor, Loki, Bruce, and Brunnhilde managed to get most of the other Asgardians to safety in time, and when they realised that Asgard was gone for good, they turned to us for help."

"Bruce?" Natasha asked, her voice suddenly sounding unsure. "Is he okay?"

Steve glanced over at her. It looked like she had aged several years in the span of the last few seconds, as she stared at Tony, her eyes wide like she couldn't' believe what he was saying. He wanted to remind her that she could not believe what Tony was telling, but seeing the glee on her face upon hearing that Bruce was alive was enough to make him decide to let her have that joy for just a little bit longer and instead focus on not getting his own hopes up.

"Somewhat," Tony said, and for once his tone turned softer for a moment. But that moment passed just as quickly as it had arrived, and a second later Tony was once again looking at them like he could barely stand to be in the same room as them.

"So Asgard got destroyed, and so what?" Clint spoke up. Even though he didn't have his signature bow any longer, he still looked intimidating as he pointed Loki. "How much are you willing to bet that he is the one to blame for that?"

The temperature in the room dropped several degrees, or at least that was what it felt like to Steve, as Loki stepped forward, fixing Clint with a death stare.

"Had it not been for Stark's presence in this room you would not still be alive," Loki whispered. He didn't have the sceptre he had wielded back during the Battle of New York, but even without it, Steve had the feeling that Loki was nowhere near unarmed, "but since I don't want to be rude in front of my host, I will let you get away with a warning to never again assume that I would do such a thing towards my home."

Loki stopped and looked back towards Tony. Following Loki's line of sight, Steve realised that Tony had reached out to grab Loki's hand, keeping him from advancing any closer to Clint. For a moment, Steve wondered what reaction Loki would have to Tony having managed to break through the mind control. Did he need to get ready for a fight, should he tell Wanda to be ready to slow down Tony's fall, should Loki decide to throw him through the air, or should he simply try to fight Loki himself?

It turned out that none of those were the answer, as Loki simply looked at his hand for a moment before looking back up at Tony and slowly stepping back over to stand next to him, the kitchen island once again separating the two from Steve's team.

"Are you sure?" Loki asked.

"Completely."

Being in the same room as Loki was enough to make Steve feel uneasy and like he should expect an attack at any moment, and the fact that Loki was able to communicate with Tony without the rest of them understanding what was going on, did not make that feeling of panic any better. Forcing himself to think positive thoughts, Steve reminded himself that at least Tony had been able to regain enough control to somehow convince Loki not to attack Clint, which was honestly more than what Steve had expected just a few minutes ago.

At the other side of the kitchen counter, Loki and Tony seemed to have reached some kind of agreement, and the two of them turned around to face Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Wanda.

"Look," Tony said before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a moment. When he looked over at them once more, Steve could recognise the stony expression. Tony looked exactly like he had done before a battle back when they were a real team. It was a look that made Steve instantly forget all the things he had been about to say, allowing Tony to continue, "I don't care about you. I don't want to have to report you to the Accords Council and make you unable to stay in the country; I don't want revenge anymore, trust me, I have had plenty of time to be angry while you were gone. All I want is for you to leave me alone from now on. So will you please leave us so that we can get back to work?"

Steve supposed that he should be thankful that he was not the first to answer, as he knew that he would not have been able to be strong and see through Loki's lies. There was no denying that in that moment, Steve would probably have forgotten everything about mind control and given up, leaving Tony behind with Loki.

But luckily, Steve was not the first to speak up. Clint was.

"Stark, we both know that you would never contact the Council about this, when doing so would mean that they would know he is here."

"Considering the fact that Loki has been cleared both in Asgardian court as well as here on Earth, I don't worry too much about the Council finding out that a backup Avenger is here to help me pack."

That rendered Clint speechless, simply staring at Tony, then at Loki, and then back at Tony again.

"Do you mean to tell me that after everything _he_ did," Clint began, shaking with what was clearly barely contained anger, "they not only decided not to throw him in prison for the rest of his life but also to let him be an Avenger?"

"Well, technically, he's backup since he has obligations towards New Asgard as well, but yes, it seems that you finally got it." Tony said. When no one commented, he continued. "Apparently, Thor and Loki were able to obtain evidence that Loki had been under the control of some entity named Thanos since before the Battle of New York, leaving him only responsible for the crimes he had committed before and after that point in time," Tony glanced over at Loki, with an almost fond expression that made Steve want to shake the billionaire and yell at him to snap out of it, "which turned out to not be enough to warrant a prison sentence when reviewed by the Asgardian court."

A few seconds of total silence passed between the six people in the room as Steve looked over at Natasha, trying to find an answer as to what to do. But she looked just as confused as he did; knitting her brows, her mouth mowing as she silently repeated what Tony had just said.

When it came to himself, Steve did not feel any surer about what to think and do. Loki would not begin to involve other people in the lies he was making Tony tell them, at least Steve didn't think he would do that, and especially not the Council considering how easy it would be for Steve to contact someone there and make them disprove the lies. So what was Loki's plan? Was he buying himself time? Was he waiting for backup to arrive? If that was the case, Steve knew that he had to hurry and get out of the Compound soon, but he couldn't just leave Tony behind, not when the man was clearly not himself.

"Loki," Steve said, mustering as much patience as he could, "let Tony leave with us now, and we will let you go unharmed."

"I like your offer, and I am charmed by how you think that I could ever convince Tony to go anywhere with you, but I don't think so," Loki replied, leaning against the countertop and shooting them a grin.

"Drop the act, we know that you are controlling everything Tony is saying," Natasha said. Steve could see how she had to fight to keep herself from powering up her Bites as she pointed at Loki.

Tony coughed, somehow managing to sound genuinely surprised. Or rather, Steve supposed, it was Loki who had made Tony sound surprised.

"Wait, you think Loki is controlling me? Really, that's the story you came up with to convince yourself that you are right and I'm wrong? Let me guess, if I don't leave with you willingly, you are just going to kidnap me for my own good?"

"We don't want it to come to that," Steve said, sending Tony a smile and hoping that Tony would be able to break free from the mind control, "but if it does, then yes, it will be for your own good."

He tried once again to extend his hand towards Tony and gesture for the billionaire to take it and come over to the other side of the kitchen counter, but the movement instantly caused Tony to almost tumble backwards, the only thing stopping him from hitting the floor being the fact that Loki managed to push himself away from the counter and catch him in time. Steve watched with the rest of his team as the Tony let the person they had spent so much time fighting help him back up, patting his arm while smiling at him during it all.

Once Tony had regained his balance, he looked at Steve with a look of utter contempt. "Okay, for your sake as well as whoever is in charge of you in the Accords Council, I'm going to pretend that you didn't just threaten to kidnap me."

"But I didn't, I only said that I would do whatever it will take to get you someplace safe far away from him," Steve argued, nodding at Loki who was once again leaning against the kitchen island.

"And I'm only asking you to understand the fact that Loki doesn't pose a threat to me," Tony shot back.

Taking a deep sigh, Steve gestured for the others not to follow him as he walked closer to where Tony and Loki were standing until he was mirroring Loki's stance of leaning against the counter. Trying to ignore the way that Loki narrowed his eyes at him and stepped closer to Tony, Steve did his best to focus on Tony and only Tony.

"Tony, you have to listen to reason. Loki doesn't want to help, he never has. You saw that yourself back during the Battle of New York - he threw you through a window."

For a second, Steve thought that Loki was about to walk over at begin a fight with him, but once again Tony reached out to stop him before turning back towards Steve.

"And you have heard how Loki was cleared of all that because he, as I have already told you, was under another entity's control during all of that. Really, with how much time and how much money you spent while searching for Barnes, you should be the first person to understand that."

Hearing Tony compare Loki - the one who had caused so much havoc, the one who had killed multiple people in only a couple of days - to Bucky felt like a punch to the gut, and although Steve wanted to be understanding and remember that Tony didn't mean any of it, he noticed how his voice turned into a growl. "Don't you ever dare to compare Loki to Bucky," he said, hearing how Nat moved closer to him.

One by one, Clint and Wanda followed her example, walking over to stand next to them at the kitchen counter. Steve could have sworn that he saw Loki snicker to himself, but he was not surprised. Of course Loki would find their compassion for one another funny, it was just how he was. Surely, it was only a question of time before Tony would realise what had happened and come back to them.

But the man in question almost seemed to mirror Loki's action as he too smiled slightly. "Why shouldn't I? Their situations are pretty similar to one another, at least if you ask me. Both were forced to do horrible things, both managed to get away. The main difference as far as I can see, is the fact that while Thor convinced Loki to come back and take responsibility for the actions he had done, you for some reason decided that Barnes should not be conscious, making it impossible for him to even know what people were saying about him."

"They would have killed him," Natasha said, "they would not have allowed him to explain himself."

Tony just looked at her. "Maybe. Maybe not. Fact is that both Rogers and Barnes did not, in fact, get killed even after they had caused a bridge to collapse over a busy road, so I doubt that that was ever a risk. But if you are talking about the situation today, I think that your assessment of the situation might finally turn out to be correct."

Ignoring the petty jab at her skills, Natasha tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean? You just said that people have forgiven Loki, who is in the same situation as Bucky."

Before the billionaire had a chance to answer, Loki had already cut him off, laughing at Nat's words. "I wouldn't say that people have forgiven me, there are still plenty of angry voices out there, demanding that I leave Earth forever. But for the most part, people seem to tolerate me or at least they have accepted that I can be of help."

"And what does that have to do with Bucky?" Steve asked, not once taking his eyes off Tony.

"Bucky was not able to defend himself and try to tell his side of the story." Natasha said, making them all look over at her. "So people came to their own conclusions, conclusions that did not take any of the extenuating circumstances into account. Is that what you were about to say?" she finished, once again settling a disappointed glare at Tony.

"Pretty much."

It was such a horrible and unjust way of looking at the situation, too simplistic and eager to judge, that Steve knew it was the truth. It was how the government worked, the reason he had even decided to fight against the Accords in the first place. But with the corruption of the politicians being this obvious, why was Tony still not ready to accept the truth and admit that he had been in the wrong when he had decided to fight for the Accords?

"And now what?" Steve heard himself ask.

"What?" Tony said, looking at Steve like he genuinely did not know what he was talking about.

"You just admitted that both the public and the government have already decided that Bucky is guilty even though they haven't asked him for his side of it all."

Steve saw Tony mutter something to himself, but despite the short amount of distance between them, he could not make out the words of what the billionaire was saying.

"Look," Tony said and Steve was disappointed to see that Tony was avoiding his gaze, "I know that you really do believe that Barnes has never done anything wrong in his life, but for all accounts, he was the one in charge of the decision to run away from the police, something that ultimately led to dozens of civilians being trapped under the rubble of the bridge the two of you destroyed during the escape as well the two fatalities. And that is not even to mention the destruction of the airport. The sooner you accept the fact that he is not innocent, the more you will be able to do to help his case."

"And what about you?"

"Me?"

In the corner of his field of vision, Steve saw Natasha discretely shaking her head at him. It wasn't a particularly big or intimidating movement, but it was enough to make Steve pause for a second, before deciding that this was too important for him to allow Nat to hold him back.

"Shouldn't you help Bucky? I know that you could easily sway the public opinion so that it will be in favour of him."

But his usual tactic of trying to appeal to the billionaire's ego did not seem to work as Tony simply raised an eyebrow at him. Loki, however, shifted his weight so that he was no longer leaning against the counter, instead looking over at Tony with what Steve could possibly be fooled into thinking was a worried expression.

"I don't see any reason for me to try to interfere in Barnes' situation," Tony said. Although his voice was barely more than a whisper, they could all hear what he was saying.

"But don't you think that you owe him that much after you attacked him?"

From her spot next to him, Natasha leaned over to whisper into his ear. "Steve, I don't think this is a good idea."

Tony nodded at her, still ignoring Steve's question. "For once, I agree with the spy. Now, either you leave this room, or I will."

"We aren't leaving, Tony," Steve said, already readying himself for when Loki would make an attack, "we still have things to talk about and there is no way we are leaving you behind with him." he pointed in Loki's direction. Thor's brother barely reacted, just shooting him an amused look.

"If that's your stance, then let me warn you right now; F.R.I.D.A.Y. is still active and is ready to report anything that might happen to the Accords Council, and you are all inside my home, carrying my weapons. You saw what happened to Clint's bow; my technology will not allow any of you to harm Loki and me."

Hearing Tony say Loki's name before mentioning himself was all the confirmation that Steve needed. There was no way that Tony would ever have placed Loki's safety above his own, and if there was no other way for them to get through to Tony, then it seemed that they would have to fight their way out of the situation.

They all attacked at once, their offense a perfect, synchronised move.

It was over moments later. As soon as they had jumped over the kitchen counter to reach Loki, Steve heard the surprised gasps from his teammates. A moment later, he too realised what was wrong.

He could not move. Around him, a circle formed by some sort of orange, circular design had appeared, effectively stopping him from moving closer to Tony. An experimental punch at the wall revealed what Steve already suspected; this was not something he could make go away by punching it enough. But what was it? He had been prepared for their weapons getting destroyed, but this… he had not thought Loki could sink this low.

"What is this?" he heard Wanda yell. Turning around, revealed that she along with the rest of the team had also been trapped by the same kind of orange shields.

"Just something a couple of members of the Avengers Programme thought to create as a way of protecting ourselves from attacks. We never got the chance to test whether or not they were working, so I guess I should thank you for proving that they did." Tony said, keeping his tone devoid of any emotions. "Now, will you for once do as I say and wait for the rest of the Avengers to arrive to report you to the Accords Council?"

Steve heard a loud crash and turned around again, only to see that Wanda had made her powers manifest once more. As he watched, she threw a long thread of scarlet magic against the shield in front of her. Another loud bang resonated through the room, as the thread hit the orange design before seemingly getting absorbed, not even leaving a dent behind.

"Don't bother with that. We thought of the risk of someone with that kind of magic attacking us when we made the shields, you are only wasting your powers. F.R.I.D.A.Y.," Steve looked at Tony to see him glance up towards the ceiling, "do you know when the Team C will arrive?"

"Team C will be here I approximately ten minutes," the AI replied. The words sounded sharper than Steve had been used to back in the days of living at the Compound, and had it not been for how he knew that the AI was nothing but lines upon lines of code, he would have thought that it sounded pleased with what had just happened.

"Good," Tony nodded before redirecting his attention towards Loki, "should we leave then?"

"Certainly."

They began to walk through the kitchen, walking right past Steve as if he didn't even exist to them.

"Tony!" Steve yelled as the billionaire passed him, desperate to get through to him. "Don't do this, this isn't what you want. We still have things to discuss; you can't just leave us like this!"

Barely slowing down and not even bothering to turn around to look at Steve, Tony dismissed him. "I have a lot to do, Rogers, so, pardon me, but I don't feel like staying here to give you another opportunity to lie to me."

The door slammed behind Tony and Loki as they exited the room.


End file.
